--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why will it not work. What magic word…" description: "\"“Why will it not work. What magic word made it work. Who is the keeper of that word. What did it profit Him to switch this one off. What a contraption ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/george-saunders-317_computers_why-will-it-not-work-what-magic-word-mad_1369350.jpg" --- # Why will it not work. What magic word made it work. Who is… ![“Why will it not work. What magic word made it work. Who is the keeper of that word. What did it profit Him to switch this one off. What a contraption it is. How did it ever run. What spark ran it. Grand little machine. Set up just so. Receiving the spark, it jumped to life.” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/george-saunders-317_computers_why-will-it-not-work-what-magic-word-mad_1369350.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/george-saunders-317_computers_why-will-it-not-work-what-magic-word-mad_1369350.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/george-saunders-317_computers_why-will-it-not-work-what-magic-word-mad_1369350.jpg) > ““Why will it not work. What magic word made it work. Who is the keeper of that word. What did it profit Him to switch this one off. What a contraption it is. How did it ever run. What spark ran it. Grand little machine. Set up just so. Receiving the spark, it jumped to life.”” [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A whimsical reflection on the mysterious mechanisms that bring technology to life and the unseen forces that control it. **In simple terms:** Tech works through hidden triggers and unseen forces. Key Takeaway Seek to understand the hidden drivers behind systems. Themes technology mystery control creation inquiry Mood curious reflective inquisitive Type literary philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - debugging - innovation - product design - learning about - system analysis Key Concepts systems theory causality automation human curiosity Questions to Reflect On - What hidden assumptions power your tools? - How can you make invisible processes visible? A Different Perspective The quote romanticizes mystery, overlooking practical engineering constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computers/) [Little Machine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-machine-647937/) [Magic Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magic-word-464031/) [Receiving Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/receiving-spark-4711024/) [Spark Jumped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spark-jumped-4711022/) [Spark Ran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spark-ran-4711023/) ## Related quotes > [My father bought me a little cardboard accordion, and when I was three I got this little machine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toots-thielemans/my-father-bought-me-a-little-cardboard-accordion-and-when-i-was-three/) [Toots Thielemans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toots-thielemans/) > [A clock is a little machine that shuts us out from the wonder of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/a-clock-is-a-little-machine-that-shuts-us-out-from-the-wonder-of-time/) [Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/) > [“a poem is just a little machine for remembering itself”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-simonsen/a-poem-is-just-a-little-machine-for-remembering-itself/) [Kyle Simonsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-simonsen/) > [“There's always a but. 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'Close enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-rowen/need-some-help-he-asked-yes-i-yelled-at-him-help-us-what-s-the-magic/) [Michelle Rowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-rowen/) > ['Magic' is a word that's too often misused in the record industry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-iovine/magic-is-a-word-that-s-too-often-misused-in-the-record-industry/) [Jimmy Iovine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-iovine/) ## More by George Saunders > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. If you're not careful, it will take up your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/success-is-like-a-mountain-in-front-of-you-that-keeps-growing-if-you/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Wow wow wow is all I can say! Remember how I always buy lunchtime Scratch-Off ticket? Have I said? Maybe did not say? 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